"This is alarming."

That from Portage-Lisgar MP Candice Bergen on the Liberal government's move to force banks and credit card companies to hand over personal financial data of millions of Canadians to Stats Canada.

The data collection will include social insurance numbers, billing information, number of credit cards, debt owed, online purchases and what residents are paying to download online.

Bergen says the move is a blatant breach of privacy. "There's a lot of people who don't want the government looking over their shoulder and spying on them."

During question period in the House of Commons, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended the move saying Stats Canada will use anonymized data for statistical purposes and no personal information will be made public.

"High quality and timely data are critical to ensuring the government programs remain relevant and effective for Canadians," Trudeau said.

However, Bergen notes there have been numerous data breaches in the past.

"They are going to be following every single move millions of Canadians make," Bergen says. "It's an unauthorized surveillance is what it is, on Canadians' bank accounts."

"It's Big Brother on steroids... it's not putting people before the government," Bergen adds. "We need the government to listen and take this seriously."